Definitions of the Art Elements from the Getty.

1. Education
The J. Paul Getty Museum
at the Getty Center
Education
The J. Paul Getty Museumpoint
© 2011 J. Paul Getty Trust
Understanding Formal Analysis
169
Performing Arts in Art
© 2011 J. Paul Getty Trust
Elements of Art
The elements of art are the building blocks used by artists to create a work of art.
Line is a mark with greater length than width. Lines can be horizontal, vertical,
or diagonal; straight or curved; thick or thin.
Shape is a closed line. Shapes can be geometric, like squares and circles; or
organic, like free-form or natural shapes. Shapes are flat and can express length
and width.
Forms are three-dimensional shapes expressing length, width, and depth. Balls,
cylinders, boxes, and pyramids are forms.
Space is the area between and around objects. The space around objects is of-
ten called negative space; negative space has shape. Space can also refer to the
feeling of depth. Real space is three-dimensional; in visual art, when we create
the feeling or illusion of depth, we call it space.
Color is light reflected off of objects. Color has three main characteristics: hue
(the name of the color, such as red, green, blue, etc.), value (how light or dark it
is), and intensity (how bright or dull it is).
• White is pure light; black is the absence of light.
• Primary colors are the only true colors (red, blue, and yellow). All other
colors are mixes of primary colors.
• Secondary colors are two primary colors mixed together (green, orange,
violet).
• Intermediate colors, sometimes called tertiary colors, are made by mixing
a primary and secondary color together. Some examples of intermediate
colors are yellow green, blue green, and blue violet.
• Complementary colors are located directly across from each other on the
color wheel (an arrangement of colors along a circular diagram to show
how they are related to one another). Complementary pairs contrast
because they share no common colors. For example, red and green are
complements, because green is made of blue and yellow. When comple-
mentary colors are mixed together, they neutralize each other to make
brown.
Texture is the surface quality that can be seen and felt. Textures can be rough or
smooth, soft or hard. Textures do not always feel the way they look; for exam-
ple, a drawing of a porcupine may look prickly, but if you touch the drawing, the
paper is still smooth.